need some casting advice

[stevek92]

So i have been reading all about casting bullets for a few months and i am ready to give it a shot. I'm almost ready to buy my equipment and i need some advice on what kind to buy such as brands or styles, steel or aluminum mold do i need an ingot mold? any advice would certainly be helpful

[sthwestvictoria]

This is a great thread with lots of similar advice:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?170953-What-does-it-take-to-get-started

This was my reply to another thread about simple casting with a ladle. For a ingot mold I use a $AUD2 muffin pan from the baking section. I have read another member who just uses the frog of an old type solid house brick!


Due to my penurious circumstances I use just this sort of simple set up - propane bottle, single cast iron gas ring, cast iron pot from yard sale and Lyman type ladle with the side nipple. Even the Lyman ladle was a lucky yard sale find from a fisherman no longer making his own sinkers. Total expense - 1 bottle of wine and 12 eggs for the gas ring, $AUD3 for pot, gas bottle free with a decrepit BBQ and $AUD5 for ladle

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_2099350a8022ae9f25.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=7487)

Other people have mentioned it is useful to have a single electric hot plate and I agree - great for pre-heating the mold blocks, ladle and even the ingots. Also great for melting down the pan-lube blocks without a flame.

Not shown in the picture but wired to the handle of a pot is a strip of aluminum. with "Lead Pb smelting only - no food" stamped into it. Hopefully if I ever die in harness or lose the pot this label will persist so it is never used for cooking.

I use the Lee C309-150-f and Lee TL314-90-swc. I size both to .311 for 30-30. The C309-150-F certainly does not size down much with the .311 but probably helps slightly with concentricity and smoothing pan lube.

[stevek92]

ok so what do you think about this kit would it be sufficent for casting pistol balls. also im starting with a cap and ball revolver not a cartridge gun just yet after i get some know how i will try my .30-.30


http://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Big-Dipper-Casting-115-Volt/dp/B0034L3D74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354221726&sr=8-1&keywords=bullet+casting

[Wayne Smith]

Much more than you need for trying it out. You can buy a Lyman or RCBS ladle and use an old kitchen pot and a camp stove to begin. I'm still using those after 10+ years.

[cbrick]

Welcome to CastBoolits stevek92,

Kinda hard to answer your question because it depends on a lot on you. What are your finances, are you sure your going to be and stay a boolit caster, if you are then it wouldn't hurt to step up & get a better starting set up.

The Lyman kit you referenced will certainly get you started pouring your round balls and so will the kitchen stove (though the wife may not think so) & an old pot & ladle, then you just need the mold. You can go from these humble beginings all the way to the sky is the limit. I don't really recommend using a hot plate simply because so many of them don't produce enough heat or just barely do.

I assume you already have alloy (soft for your RB), you'll need some flux, stirring/skimming spoon. For flux I highly recommend plain old sawdust. I also very highly recommend downloading & printing the following free book . . .

From Ingot To Target by Glen E. Fryxell (http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_textonly2.pdf)

Rick

[jlchucker]

This is a great thread with lots of similar advice:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?170953-What-does-it-take-to-get-started

This was my reply to another thread about simple casting with a ladle. For a ingot mold I use a $AUD2 muffin pan from the baking section. I have read another member who just uses the frog of an old type solid house brick!



I use the Lee C309-150-f and Lee TL314-90-swc. I size both to .311 for 30-30. The C309-150-F certainly does not size down much with the .311 but probably helps slightly with concentricity and smoothing pan lube.

I used to have a set of iron cookware with wooden handles just like the pot shown in the photo. I bought them new, cheap from some department store when I was still living in apartments. If I recall they were made in Korea--not too bad but when I bought a house I started using some better pots and pans for cooking. I gave those Korean pots like the one in your photo away, never thinking to use them for my boolit casting. Now that I see that picture I wish I had the pot like the one in your picture back--for boolit casting purposes.

[zuke]

Go to a thriftstore and get a stainless steel pot and look for a coleman stove.
Soup ladel and a "holey' spoon to get out the clip's and big stuff.
That's how I started decade's ago and used that set up for 3-4 year's till I found out I liked it and slowly upgraded.

[I'll Make Mine]

Go to a thriftstore and get a stainless steel pot and look for a coleman stove.
Soup ladel and a "holey' spoon to get out the clip's and big stuff.
That's how I started decade's ago and used that set up for 3-4 year's till I found out I liked it and slowly upgraded.

And that's pretty close to what I have -- small Coleman single burner (confirmed by Coleman to be okay to run on unleaded automotive gasoline, at 1/4 the price of Coleman fuel), a couple coated cast iron pots, a stainless soup spoon with the bowl expanded to hold more and the handle bent for better pouring, and some stainless strainers for skimming. Got the stove free, had the pots for decades and haven't used 'em in close to 20 years, paid $2 for the spoon and $1 for a set of three strainers -- with Lee molds at $16 each plus shipping, this doesn't have to be expensive to start in (but it helps to be able to scrounge). Oh, and a pair of welding gloves, six bucks with my employee discount.

[willy3]

I've been reloading for nearly 50 years and after much trial and error have a Lee production pot, Ohaus ingot trays, and Lee molds in two and six cavity configurations. Just got a Lee sizer after 4 decades of using Lyman sizer/lubricator. Lee seems to have the best equipment, IMHO...

[drklynoon]

I bought the Lyman kit that has the Lubrisizer. I like alot of things with this set-up but it has draw backs as well. I would suggest getting a bottom pour Lee pot if you can and maybe a tumble lube bullet mold but it really depends on the gun you are using and what you want to do.

[Boolseye]

I started basic and worked up. YOu must have strong steel or cast iron to smelt in (20# propane tank cut in half works great)
I smelted first, then casted with my nice ingots. I went for the Lee 4-20 bottom pour pot. I started with a couple Lee molds, and I've stuck with Lee. I use double-cavities and the sixers.
I also love that super-simple set-up mentioned earlier in the thread–a bottle of wine and a couple dozen eggs and he's good to go. Awesome. Bottom line is be safe and have fun, in that order.

[mdi]

You can cast pure lead balls easily with the SS pan, dipper, Coleman stove set-up. Like others have said, Goodwill, and the dollar store are good sources of casting tools; slotted spoons, soup ladels, muffin pans (get one piece pans, not the ones with the cups soldered/welded into a top piece). Lately I've only been smelting 30 or so lbs. at a time so I've been using a single burner Colman stove (the kind that screws onto the chubby propane bottles), and a home made pot (made from an old axel nut socket; 8 1/2"x6" high hex). Nope, it won't tip, it's pretty steady, and it gets plenty hot to melt 25 lbs. of wheel weights in a few minutes (some fellers want to smelt hundreds of lbs. of lead at a time, but I've got mebbe a 1/2 ton stashed around my reloading room (shed) so I don't need to clean much at one time).

The kit you linked would work, but even on sale you won't need much more than the pot and ladel. But one thing I'll recommend is a good book/manual on casting, that being Lyman's 3rd Edition Cast Bullet Handbook (get the 3rd if you can as it's better for a beginner than the 4th, unless you're into Black Powder Cartridge shooting). An other excellent read is From Ingot to Target by Fryxell. http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm.

Taking some junk lead, making clean ingots, casting your own bullets, and shooting them is prolly the most satisfying part of roll-yer-own ammo. 8-). Go slow, be safe, and enjoy...